Throughout “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Marquez and Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat,” various themes that capture the helplessness of man in comparison to that of the universe shape the story and convey an overall purpose. Each theme affects the characters from each story in a variety of ways, ultimately resulting in successful character development and plot resolution. In Marquez’s “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” themes such as the coexistence of cruelty and compassion, community, religion, suffering and old age enrich the text through the provision of different perspectives to examine the various dynamics of the story and how each theme plays a vital role in the development of the passage. Discovery of this angel like creature within the passage allows for these various themes to come into play while cultivating an image of something quite contrary to the widely known and precious ideology of angels. In Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” themes such as nature’s indifference to man, man’s insignificance to the universe, the power of brotherhood, suffering and the importance of society within a harsh world assist in illustrating the everyman qualities within the characters while they experience unfortunate circumstances within the harsh waters of the sea. These themes, which are prevalent throughout both texts, give readers the opportunity to decipher the inner workings of each character as well as embark on a journey that encompasses the perspective of each author in its entirety.
Throughout each passage various themes collide. Particularly the theme of old age from, “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” in comparison to the themes of nature’s indifference to man and man’s insignificance to the universe. Throughout “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”, the angel is wrought with old age and is said to be, “a very old man, lying face down in the mud.” (Marquez 405). This description of the angel does not change throughout the passage, and traditional imagery regarding angels in religion are thrown to the wayside. Throughout “The Open Boat,” the various characters war with the sea demonstrating the indifference that nature has regarding men when exuding its full power. These themes are similar in that nature and old age do not stop for anyone regardless of celestial ability or ranking in society, be that a captain, correspondent, oiler or angel. Importance of society within a harsh world is a theme present within both passages. This theme can be seen in the class system found on the ship as well as in the way in which the two main characters, Pelayo and Elisenda, dramatically alter their lives in regard to social standing while they have the angel in their company. Within “The Open Boat,” one can see how society has truly no effect on the ship mates in that each strives to right the ship throughout their turbulent journey. This differs greatly from that of Pelayo and Elisenda in that the views of society are of great importance within their story in that at the first opportunity, the pair go to great lengths to improve their social standing on the back of the angel to better their lives in the eyes of their neighbors. Through their efforts, “they built a two-story mansion with balconies and gardens and high netting so that crabs wouldn’t get in during the winter. Elisenda bought satin pumps with high heels and many dresses of iridescent silk, the kind worn on Sunday by the most desirable women in those times” (Marquez 408).
Community is a theme within both passages that demonstrates the power of multiple people. Throughout “The Open Boat,” one can see a community/brotherhood forming amongst the crew members as they braved the open seas. “It would be difficult to describe the subtle brotherhood of men that was here established on the seas. No one said that it was so. No one mentioned it. But it dwelt in the boat, and each man felt it warm him” (Crane 391). This sense of community sustained the men throughout their woes and provided them with a sense of strength, not just in one another but within themselves. Ultimately allowing them the ability to continue to propel themselves forever throughout the sea. Within “A Very Old Man with Wings” the son of Pelayo and Elisenda and the angel began to form a community of their own. “The angel was no less standoffish with him than with a dog who had no illusions. They both came down with chicken pox at the same time. When the child began school it had been some time since the sun and rain had caused the collapse of the chicken coop. The angel went dragging himself about here and there like a stray dying man” (Marquez 409). Through hardship and illness, the angel and young boy formed a sense of community, one that helped the angel develop strength to leave his chicken coop similar to the strength that was a result of the community formed between the men in “The Open Boat”.
Suffering is a theme that is prevalent throughout both stories and serves as a common denominator within each passage. Throughout “The Open Boat,” the men within the boat experience great suffering as they battle, for one to the death, the great waves of the sea, enduring crippling exhaustion, and contemplating the possibility of death. “The third wave moved forward, huge, furious, and implacable. It fairly swallowed the dinghy, and almost simultaneously the men tumbled into the sea” (Crane 402). This story considers what comes from suffering, ultimately conveying to readers, that hard work and perseverance through suffering does not guarantee success and survival, specifically for the oiler. As one reads “A Very Old Man with Wings” one can see the constant suffering that the old man experiences from the moment he touches down onto the shore. His suffering is a constant stream from beginning to end. “Especially during the first days, when the hens pecked at him, searching for the stellar parasites that proliferated in his wings, and the cripples pulled out feathers to touch their defective parts with, and even the most merciful threw stones at him, trying to get him to rise so they could see him standing” (Marquez 407). While the angel continuously suffers, his end result is one of triumph in comparison to that of the oiler, the one shipmate who ultimately succumbs to death’s great embrace. The angel, after enduring such long standing suffering not only at the hands of his captures but his community as well is able to grow wings and fly his way to freedom. This demonstrates that while not all suffering produces success, some have the ability to create their own fate.
Man’s insignificance to the universe is the final theme within the passage that correlates with that of “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” Throughout “The Open Boat” the men on the ship struggle with understanding the ways in which their power is limited in relation to that of the universe. Following their pleas with fate, the men on the ship began to wallow in despair upon the realization that they are ultimately alone in the universe and insignificant in its tidings.
These thoughts lead to fear within the men in that they do not wish to perish without some sense of connection to whatever it is that provides them with their sense of self. In “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” the angel experiences alienation and exploitation at the hands of the community he resides in. This alienation is similar to the experiences shared by those within the ship in that the angel must come to grips with the fact that while he is utterly alone amongst men he lacks a sense of self and the ability to control what the universe provides him with. While the men upon the ship wallow in their lack of control, the angel acclimates to it. Resulting in his ability to preside over this alienation allowing him to free himself from his captors and embrace his sense of self once again.
Both “The Open Boat” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” encapsulated various themes that demonstrated the ways in which the laws of nature are omnipotent, the coexistence of compassion and cruelty, religion, old age, community, suffering, nature’s indifference to man, and the importance of society in a harsh world. Each of these themes allowed the passage to express its plot, setting and character development to the fullest ultimately resulting in two passages that focused on and imparted great lessons. While there were many comparisons made here between the two stories, one can see that “The Open Boat” and “The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” may appear quite different on the title page but possess similar traits and ideals within.